Anticipating that Kay will stay, Shapiro withdraws from Senate race

In anticipation that U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will announce today in San Antonio that she is remaining in the Senate rather than resigning as planned, state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, formally withdrew as a candidate for Hutchison’s seat.

Here’s Shapiro’s news release:

Austin, Texas, Wednesday, March 31, 2010— Plano Republican State Senator Florence Shapiro has announced she is formally withdrawing her candidacy for the 2012 United States Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchison.

“The political landscape of American government has dramatically shifted since I announced my US Senate candidacy almost 21 months ago,” Shapiro stated. “State government is now the last back stop to an over-reaching federal government.”

With a positive reflection on her US Senate journey, Shapiro said she leaves the federal race with no regrets. “I wouldn’t do it any differently,” she said. “I am truly humbled by each of those who helped the campaign and proud of what we accomplished.”

“My decision to withdrawal from the US Senate race is an obvious and clear one,” Shapiro stated. “To protect Texas taxpayers, I firmly believe we now need an all hands on deck commitment by our state legislature.”

Shapiro also noted that the demands on her role as Chairman of the State Senate Education Committee have increased over the past several months. Lt. Governor David Dewhurst recently appointed her to lead an interim statewide committee tasked with development of a new public school funding formula. “Our pending state budget shortfall has worsened the immediacy of the issues facing our school children,” Shapiro said.